Slideshow

sabato 28 giugno 2014

These are the matches that will decide the top 8:Brazil - Chile (28 June)Colombia - Uruguay (28 June)France - Nigeria (30 June)Germany - Algeria (30 June)Netherlands - Mexico (29 June)Costa Rica - Greece (29 June)Argentina - Switzerland (1 July)Belgium - United States (1 July)Only 6 European teams (out of 13) managed to pass the group stage.The other teams are from America (8, only Ecuador and Honduras did not qualify) and Africa (2).The top team in the official FIFA ranking (Spain) did not qualify; the team with the worst ranking that passed the group stage is Nigeria (44th place).

venerdì 27 giugno 2014

The group stage ended last night, with 42 goals scored in the third round.The total is now at 136, a record since 1998, when the number of participant teams was settled to 32.The group with more goals was Group B, with 22 goals; the team with most goals until now is Netherlands, that scored 10 goals (and won Group B).On the other side, the group with less goals was Group D (only 12 goals).Cameroon, Honduras and Iran scored only 1 goal each.The top scorers until now are Lionel Messi (Argentina), Neymar (Brazil) and Thomas Müller (Germany), with 4 goals each.In the table after Italian translation there are the 3 matches with the greatest and the smallest difference considering the positions and the points of the teams in the official FIFA ranking, with their respective results.

The better ranked team (by points or position) is always on the left.You find the data of the first and second round on these posts: first round, second round.

giovedì 26 giugno 2014

(Image from Wikipedia)After biting Italian player Giorgio Chiellini during the match Italy-Uruguay (0-1) played last Tuesday, Uruguayan player Luis Suárez has been suspended for nine matches and banned for four months from any football-related activity (he currently plays for Liverpool).The referee didn't see what happened during the match, so the Fifa Disciplinary Committee used the tv footage to disqualify him.The first match of this suspension is to be served in the upcoming World Cup fixture between Colombia and Uruguay on 28 June.

martedì 24 giugno 2014

Yesterday the first qualifying round draw for the Champions League and Europa League was made.In this first turn, there will be 6 teams in Champions League and 78 in Europa League.For the first time in the Champions League there will be teams from 53 out of 54 countries that are UEFA's members.Gibraltar joined UEFA last year, so now they will have their own teams in Champions League (Lincoln Red Imps) and Europa League (College Cosmos).Only Liechtenstein has no teams in Champions League, since this nation doesn't have a domestic league. However, they organize a national cup that was won by Vaduz, so this team will take part to the Europa League (that has participants from all 54 UEFA members).The first leg of the first turn will be played on 1-2-3 of July, and the second on 8-9-10 of July.The finals will be held on 27 May 2015 in Warsaw (Europa League) and on 6 June 2015 in Berlin (Champions League).Starting from this edition, the Europa League winner will qualify for the subsequent Champions League.

lunedì 23 giugno 2014

The second round of matches of the World Cup ended last night.After a record first round, with its 49 goals scored, also this second turn settled another record: 45 goals, better than every other World Cup since 1998, when the number of participant teams was settled to 32.The total number of goals is now 94 (the previous record was 81, in 2002).In the table after Italian translation there are the 3 matches with the greatest and the smallest difference considering the positions and the points of the teams in the official FIFA ranking, with their respective results.

The better ranked team (by points or position) is always on the left.You find the data of the first round on this post.

domenica 22 giugno 2014

Thanks to the goal scored yesterday against Ghana, Miroslav Klose (Germany) reached Ronaldo at the first place of the all-time top scorers of the World Cup, with 15 goals.You find the top 12 scorers in this post.

giovedì 19 giugno 2014

Yesterday, Spain has been already eliminated from the World Cup.It is the second time in a row that the World Cup Defending Champions are eliminated in the first round: in 2010 it happened to Italy.Historically, this happened other 3 times: again to Italy in 1950 (Italy had won the 1938 edition, and in 1942 and 1946 the World Cup was not held), then to Brazil in 1966 and France in 2002.

The first round of matches of the World Cup ended yesterday night.49 goals have been scored, and this is a record since 1998, when the number of participants was settled to 32 teams (the previous record was 46, in 2002 edition).Furthermore, for the first time in World Cup history, the first goal has been an own goal (Marcelo, in the inaugural match Brazil - Croatia 3-1).Brazil team was also the protagonist of the only other inaugural match with an own goal: in 1998, Scottish player Tom Boyd scored in his own net, during the match Brazil - Scotland (ended 2-1).Talking about the single games, in the table after Italian translation there are the 3 matches with the greatest and the smallest difference considering the positions and the points of the teams in the official FIFA ranking, with their respective results.The better ranked team (by points or position) is always on the left.

domenica 15 giugno 2014

Now it's time for the World Cup, but there are some football leagues still in progress, in the countries where leagues start in Spring and end in Autumn.Here are the main European leagues currently in progress, with the respective top team:Belarus (Vysheyshaya Liga): Dinamo MinskEstonia (Meistriliiga): Flora TallinnFaroe Islands (Premier League): B36 TorshavnFinland (Veikkausliiga): HJK HelsinkiIceland (Úrvalsdeild): FHLatvia (Virsliga): VentspilsLithuania (A Lyga): Zalgiris VilniusNorway (Tippeligaen): MoldeSweden (Allsvenskan): Malmö FF